Tunneling machine



W. R. COLLINS.

TUNNELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4. 1920.

1,404,92 Patnted Jan. 31,1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEY.

W. R. COLLINS;

TUNNELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION man SPT.4, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

L I w J -STA WILLIAM R. COLLINS, or DENVER, COLORADO.

Tunnnmne MACHINE.

menace.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILLIAMR. COLLINS, v

on August 8, 1911, and #1,061,4c51granted to me on May 13, 1913, andparticularly to improvements there n relating to the man ner of)flffklfig the air space between the rotating cutter, carrying cylinderor drumand the relatively fixed frame of the ma chine.

The tunneling machines to which this invention relates, as illustratedand described in my prior patents, include a carriage having'an endframe provided with a bearing, and mounted upon this hearing is anannula r, revoluble cutting head, the cutting head carrying a pluralityof air actuated drills. The end frame has a circular air channel formedtherein which communicate-s by pipes with a source of air, and this airchannel communicates with air channels on the. rotating drum or headleading to the air channels of the several drills. The general object ofmy present invention is to provide improved means for packing the spacebetween the rotating cylinder, or drum and the fixed front frame of themachine so as to prevent the escape of air between these two parts.

A further object is to provide improved.

means for this purpose including air retaining leather or compositionrings which are.

so mounted within the packing space that they prevent the compressed airfrom escap ing between the rotating cylinder or drum and the frontframe.

And a further object 1s to so support and form these-packing rings thatthe outside flange of packing rings will glide upon the inside face ofthe end frame in which the cylinder or drum rotates, while the web or.inner flange of the leather channel or packingring may be pulled aroundwith the rotation of the drum without pulling the leather packing ringor channel shaped ring,

out of shape and render it worthless.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jan. 31, 1922 Applicationfiled September 4, 1920. SerialhNo. 408,155.

Figure 2. H I o In these drawings, itwillbe seen that I have illustrateda portion of the forwardend of a tunneling machine constructed in accordance with my invention. I have not attem ted to illustrate thedetails of a machine of t is character, as these are well understood byall cognizant with the art and are fully illustrated in my prior.patents Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the cast ironend. frame 10, which is fixed from rotation o-ncarriage A, surrounds.

a. cylinder or drum 11. This drum ,is de-' signed to rotate and carriesupon its forward end a circular face plate 12 which is bolted tothefront edge of the drum or cylinder by bolts 13. Compressed airoperated'cutters or drills'are mounted upon this circular face platetorotate therewith. The outer end of the cast iron frame 10 is annularlychannelled, as at 14:, on its inside face and the outside face of thedrum or cylinder 11' is also channelled, as at 15, these complementarychannels 1 and 15 constituting anannular chamber within which aredisposed roller bearings 16; The drum 11 projects beyond the'rear edgeof the fixed frame 10 and carries upon it anexteriorly toothed' gearring 17 which may be attached to the out wardly projecting end of thedrum by means of screws 18 or in any other suitable manner. All of theseparts are of ordinary and usual construction. j

V The outer face of the drum 11 is' annularly channelled, as at 19, thischannel terminating at its forward end in a shoulder 20 but extending tothe rear end face of the drum outward of the shoulder 21 defining theseat for the gear ring 17. From this channel 19, or packing space as itwill hereafter be called,

' ducts 22 lead to the air ports of these'veral drills 32 attached tothe front "head. of the machine, that is through the face plate 12 ortween the drum 11 and the frame 10 should be such as-will prevent theleakage of compressed air to thesejoints. To this end, I

dispose against the shoulder 20 or end wall of the packing space 19 anL-shaped packing ring, designated generally 27, this packing ringhbeingof leatheror composition and having aabase attached to the shoulder 20or wall by means of screws 28. The free edge of this L-shaped packingring is bevelled, and the free margin of this packing. ring bearsagainst the'inner face of thefixed end-v frame 10. At the opposite endof the packing space 19 there are two joints to be protected, as isobviousfrom Figure 2, andto this end I prov de a channelled-shapedpackfree marginal portions, oneibearing againstthe outer face of thedrum a-nd the other bearing against the inner face ofthe frame 10, and Imount this channelled packing.

ring 29 upon a steel ring 30, which is a floating ring approximatelyfilling the space between the outer face of the drum li and the innerface of the annular frame 10 but loose therein so that it may shiftcircumferentially. The leather, packing ring 29 isheld to this ring 30by means of screws 31. V i

It will be understood that these packing rings are approximately, in theworking machine, 6? in diameter. t Theconditions under which these ringsoperate are such thatthe outside flange or margin of the channelshapedpacking ring 29 must glid'efupon the inside face of the end frame inwhich the cylinder rotates, while the web or base portion of the ring 29and the inner flange or margin of the leather ring must contact with thedrum. This would cause the channelshaped packing ring 29 to be pulledout of shape very quickly if it were not that it is attached to andsupported by the steel ring backing 30 and if the opposite ring 27 wereI not supported by the shoulder 20. The pack ing rings 27 and 29 areheld 111 place by screw bolts-28 and 31 which are spaced from each othera distance ofabout 2, and if. it were not that these rings are thussupported, the packing rings would be worthless in view of the twoforces acting on the ring 29 and on the ring 27, the compressed airacting to force the free margins of these rings out against the outersurface of the drum and the inner surface of the frame 10, or as withing ring 29 havinga. base portion andvtwo andflexible steel ora varietyof different ma terials. V

The general operation of the mechanism is as follows A power driven gearwheel 33 ei1- gages the gear .17 and this rotates the drum or cylinder11, rotating with it the several compressed air drills 82 attached totheface plate 12, this drum rotating within the an nularguide formed by theend frame 10.

The air to the air ports of the drills on the front head is furnishedthrough the pipe 26 and through the ports at, packing space 19 and theport 22. it

WVhile I have illustrated a particular form of drilling or tunnelingmachine to which this packingiis to be applied, and while this packinghas been devised with particular relation to the tunneling machinesillustrated in my patents and of the type illustrated, I do not wish tobe limited thereto, asit is obvious that the packing mi ht be applied toother forms of tunneling machines or like mechanism o eratin on the samerinci le and P g P embodying concentric members relatively rotating inopposite directions, or one fixed and theother rotating, with an airspace between the two members packed to prevent the escape or leakage ofair.

'I claim 2 I 1. In a mechanism of the character described inclu-dingconcentric members'rela tively rotative, the inner member having airchannels and the outer member having an air channel and the inner andouter mem bers upon theirconfronting faces being formed to provide anannular air chamber communicating with the flrst and second namedchannels, and means for preventing the leakage of air between theconfronting faces of said members comprising annular packingtringsextending concentric to the inner and outer members and disposed in theends of the chamber, each of said packing rings having a base portionand a free marginal portion bearingjagainst the confronting face of oneof said members.

In a mechanism of the character de scribed including concentric membersrelatively rotativefthe inner member having air channels and the outermember having an air channel and the inner andouter menibers upon theirconfronting faces being formed to-provide an annular air chambercommunicating with the first and secondnamed channels, and meansforpreventing the leakage of air between the confronting faces 'of saidmembers-comprising annular packing rings extending concentric to thescribed including concentric. members relatively rotative, the innermember having air channels and the outer member-having an air channeland the inner and outer members upon their confronting faces beingformed to provide an annular air chamber communicating with the firstand second named channels, and meansfor preventing the leakage of airbetween the confronting faces of said members comprising annular packingrings extending concentric to the inner and outer members andidisposedin,

the ends of thechamber, one of said packing rings being channelshapedincross section toprovide a base portion and two opposite marginalportions adapted to bear against the confronting faces of the twomembers.

4:. In a mechanism. of the character described including concentricmembers relatively rotative, the inner member having air channels andthe outer member having an air channel and the inner and outer membersupon their confronting faces being formed to provide an annular airchamber communicating with the first and second named channels,imeansfor, preventing the leakage of air between the confronting'faces of saidmembers comprising annular packing rings extending concentric to theinner and outer members and disposed in the ends ofthe chamber, one ofsaid packing rings being channel-shaped in cross section to provide abase portion and two opposite marginal portions adapted tobear againstthe confronting faces of the two members, and a metallic supporting ringdisposed in said chamber and concentric to the inner and outer membersbut freely rotatable with relation thereto, the channelled packing ringbeing attached to said metallic ring at intervals. g

5. In a mechanism of the character described, outer and inner relativelyrotative concentric members, said members on their confronting facesbeing formed to provide an annular air chamber and packing ringsdisposed at opposite ends of the air chamber, each of said packing ringshaving a base and a flexible marginal portion engaging the inner face ofone of the rotative members and extending parallel thereto, the basebeing fixed and the inner member being relatively rotatable within thefixed member, said innepmember on itsface confronting the; outer memberbeing formed to provide 7 an annular chamber extending inward from oneend of the innermember but terminating short ofthe otherendof the innermember, said chamberhaving air ducts extending therefrom throughtheinner member and theouter member having air ductsopening into saidchamber,-and means forpre enh ing leakage of the air from the chambercomprising a substantially L-shaped packing ring attached at intervalsto the end wall of the hamber and extending concentricto theinnermember, said packing ring having a free margin extendingapproximatelypar allel to the axis of the members and con-i tacting with theinnerface of the outer member, floating ring disposed inflsaid chamberat its opposite end from the first, named packing ring and concentric tothe inner member, and a, channel-shaped packing ring attached; atintervals to said float-r in'g ring and having free marginal portionsextending approximately parallel .to the outer and inner members andbearing against their confronting faces, 1

:7. In a mechanismofthe character described, an annular fixedend frame,an annular drum rotating within the, end frame,

' the inner end of the" frame carrying a gear face being formed with anannular air-.cham- 1 ber extending from said gear wheel toward theopposite end of the drum and the drum being provided with air channelsleading w from said air chamber, the frame being provided with anannular air chamber connected 1 to a source of compressed air and havingports opening into the first named air chamber, a rigid floating ringdisposed in the firstnamed air chamber at the end adjacent the gearwheel, a channel-shaped packing ring mounted upon the floating ring andattached at intervals thereto and having a base portion bearing againstthe floating ring, and marginal portions extending approximatelyparallel tothe outer and inner surfaces of the drum and end framerespectively and urged thereagainst by pressure of the COIM- pressed airwithin the air chamber, an L- shaped packing ring disposed in theopposite end of the first named air chamber having a base portionattached 'at intervals to the end wall of the air chamber and having aportion extending approximately parallel to the confronting inner faceof the end frame and forced thereagainst by the pressure of compressedair.

8. In a mechanism of the character described, outer and inner rotatableelements, one ofsaid elements being formed to provide an annularchamber, the other element f0rming one wall of this chamberand saidelements being relatively rota-table in opposite directions, a floatingring disposed in said annular chamber and approximately filling one endthereof,and a channel-shaped packing ring attached at intervals to saidfloating ring and having marginal portions extending approximatelyparallel to the confronting faces of the elements and bearingthereagainst.

9. In a tunneling machine, an annular front frame, an annular drumdisposed and fitting within the front frame, the drum upon its outerface rearward ofits forward end being cut away to provide an annularseat between the drum and the frame, said drum projecting rearwardbeyond the frame, this projecting portion being reduced in diameter, a'gear' ring "mounted upon the projecting'portion of the drum whereby itmay be rotated, a circular face plate bolted to the front end of thedrum and ex-- tending outward beyond the frame, the frame and drum beingformed with coacting roller bearings and the drum having air channelsleading through the circular face plate and from said air space, theframe being formed with an annular air chamber having radially extendingducts opening into said annular space between the drum and the endframe, and said circular air chamber being connected to a source ofcompressed air, and means for preventing leakage of air from said airspace in the drum comprising a packingring having a base portionattached at intervals to the forward end wall of the airspace and a freemarginal portion extending approximately parallel to and bearing againstthe inner face of the fixed front frame, a floating ring disposed at theother end of the air space, an approximately channel-shaped packing ringhaving a' base portion disposed against the inner face of the floatingring and attached thereto at intervals, the margins of said packing ringbearing respectively against the drum and the frame and held in contacttherewith by the pressure of air within the air space. 1 r

10. In a mechanism of the character de-- scribed, outer and innerrelatively rotative, concentric members, said members on theirconfronting faces being formed to provide an annular air chamber,a'floating ring disposed in said annularchamber and approximatelyfilling one end thereof, a channelshaped packing ring attached to saidfloating ring and having marginal portions extending approximatelyparallel to the confronting faces of the elements and bearing thereagainst, and a packing ring disposed at the opposite end of the chamberand having a base, and a flexible marginal portion extend-- ing parallelto one of said rotative members and bearing thereagainst, the base ofsaid packing ring being rigidly supported.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

WILLIAM COLLINS.

